Truck blowing white smoke

Condensation that accumulates inside the exhaust pipes, converter and mufflers can produce a puff of white smoke upon diesel engine start-up. In very cold temperatures, the heated exhaust can freeze into minute fuel droplets when exiting the exhaust and produce a more prolonged emission of white smoke for a very short period of driving time. One of two conditions is responsible for white smoke blowing out of your exhaust. First is normal condition (so you don’t have to panic) and the second is a not so normal condition which should be fixed as soon as possible. One reason for white smoke is very common and completely harmless.

This diagnostic will tell you what to look for if yours is smoking more than normal. Sometimes when it is col the truck sputters and blows white smoke , and it takes a few minutes to clear out. Blowing white smoke is a red flag for your diesel engine, yet we see this happen all the time to our customers.

In many cases, white smoke emanating from the tailpipe (often at idle once the engine reached operating temperature) typically means a worn out injector. White smoke can be a big problem or not, depending on the thickness. The white smoke is the result of normal condensation which builds up inside the exhaust system. If smoke is being release then this is indicative of a problem. HOWTO looks at all the possible reasons why white smoke is coming from your exhaust pipe.

What does WHITE smoke from my exhaust mean? Been so busy I forgot to ask about this. My with a 3was blowing white smoke before I put it into storage. Seemed to be running fine with decent power.

It seemed to be worse right after I started it and slowly goes away, but not totally, as it warms up. It also smells like it was running. It has about 840miles on it.

The truck was sitting for days and I started it to make sure it was ready to run tomorrow. I walked away for a couple minutes and when I came back the truck was sputtering and blowing white smoke (steam) out of the exhaust. This is usually the last color of smoke you want to see, particularly on gas cars. If the smoke is thin, and goes away relatively quickly, than it is merely condensation. However, thicker, longer lasting smoke is a much larger headache.

Your engine is more than likely burning coolant. Products designed to flush carbon away from the pistons often cures this problem. If the white smoke is due to the engine being too cool, adding an automatic pre-heater may eliminate white diesel smoke.

Diesel engines also sometimes produce black or blue smoke , both of which are also signs of problems within the engine. Could I get some assistance with this? I am having some problem with a truck I recently bought. I will try to keep it brief.

SymptoThick billowing white smoke from exhaust when I first start it cold after sitting a while. This truck blew thick pure white smoke for over. My truck stated blowing a continous stream of white smoke out the exhaust. I checked the crank case oil and it did not use any oil. I am guessing that I had an injector stuck open and after stopping the engine it filled the cylinder with fuel and locked up the engine.

It is not really down on power, it is not using coolant, not using oil, very little blow by. Truck has 360miles on it. Too many variables here. Does it blow white smoke all the time or only at idle?

I recommend checking you oil to see if it looks milky. At a minimum you will be changing injector o-rings, but with that much antifreeze it could be head gasket, leaking in the cylinder wall, too many things can cause that. L turbro an we are having tons of issues still after changing EGR.